Ball hitches of the gooseneck type wherein the hitch ball is mounted in the bed of a pick-up truck between the rear wheels of the truck are well known in the art. Examples of such gooseneck hitches are presented in, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,256,324 to Hamilton; 4,657,274 to Mann et al.; 5,143,393 to Meyer; 5,435,585 to Chambers; and 5,472,222 to Marcy. The goal of these designs is to provide as much of the gooseneck hitch assembly as possible beneath the bed of the pick-up truck. Further, the hitch balls themselves are all removable or retractable so that when the hitch is not in use, the hitch ball may be removed or retracted so as not to obstruct the bed of the pick-up truck in any significant manner.
While such gooseneck hitch assemblies have become very popular, all such designs are generally difficult to install. In most situations, it is very difficult to properly position the supporting subframe of the hitch assembly underneath the bed of the pickup truck between the truck frame rails, the overlying bed and the underlying exhaust system, electrical lines, fuel lines and other vehicle components. A need is therefore identified for a gooseneck hitch assembly that may be easily installed by following simple instructions so that the installation process may be completed in a quick and efficient manner.
Further, hitch assemblies have generally failed to include or only included in an inconvenient location under the bed of the pick-up truck a grease fitting for lubricating the mechanism that allows the hitch ball to be moved between the towing and storage positions. Of course, a grease fitting under the bed of the pickup truck is so inconvenient as to often go unutilized. This neglect often results in damage to the mechanism overtime. A need is, therefore, also identified for a gooseneck hitch assembly that may be easily and conveniently lubricated so as to maintain the moving parts of the hitch ball pivotal connection in peak operating condition at all times.